10 words or phrases that are so 2006

Published on December 18, 2006.

1 Consumer-generated media

Yes, we're happy that you've all found a buzzword and we totally understand that this is the new Holy Grail of Marketing. Now that you've found it, how about figuring out how to use it instead of talking the rest of us to death?

2 Touch point

The mere utterance of this lascivious cliche makes us want to sound an Amber Alert-just in case-and then take a shower.

3 Organic

Fine when referring to carbon-based materials; less fine when talking successful product-placement deals. Sorry, we're not buying that MacBooks happened to grow out of the fingers of every character on HBO.

4 Connective tissue

A common reason for choosing marketing over something even more noble, like medicine, is that most of us aren't smart enough to understand fancy biological terms. For many, eyeballs is tough enough. Leave this one in your black bag.

5 Web 2.0

The point-oh suffix, a symbol of geek chic and cratered business models, should have fallen out of vogue long ago, not be tied to forward-looking companies. Grok that.

6 The idea is king

If it is, than Ideapus Rex is a puppet having his strings pulled by Chancellors Mediocrity, Covering-My-Ass and Just-Make-Me-Something-That-Goes-on-YouTube.

7 Customer-centric

While we're all happy you've decided to no longer treat the people who feed you like slaughter animals, there's no need to keep reminding us of the breakthrough with this awkward adjective.

8 Open the kimono

A phrase that promises transparency but suggests 60-year-old executives disrobing and a host of attendant grotesqueries.

9 Join the conversation

You can thank blogs for this.

10 "My avatar ..."

When did the Dungeons & Dragons culture go from something that would get you a swirly or an atomic wedgie to something marketers are spending money on?